


Debris

by wampusthunder



Category: Superstore (TV)
Genre: F/M
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2017-05-08
Updated: 2017-05-08
Packaged: 2018-10-29 17:09:36
Rating: General Audiences
Warnings: Creator Chose Not To Use Archive Warnings
Chapters: 1
Words: 1,829
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/10858395
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/wampusthunder/pseuds/wampusthunder
Summary: After the store's finally reconstructed, the employees at cloud nine must go back to work.





	Debris

For some reason, she was terribly nervous. She hadn't felt like that in a while- of course, she'd been nervous about money and Emma and groceries and all that, but this was not it. The nerves had been building up inside her ever since she kissed Jonah, when, you know, she thought they were both going to die and all. That was yet another kind of nervous, the "we're gonna die in a cloud nine medicine cabinet surrounded by diarrhea medicine" kind. And they hadn't spoken about it. In fact, they hadn't spoken at all since that day. Maybe that's why she was nervous now. See, her plan was to act like everything's normal and signal she didn't want to talk about it by acting like everything was normal. Except that she'd been avoiding that non-conversation for so long, it became even worse. It wasn't normal, to just go awall like that abruptly. Jonah even stopped texting her memes.  
This morning, she had butterflies on her stomach, and she was a tad too self-conscious when looking through the mirror, which made her hate herself, and she wanted to call in sick and not have an awkward conversation with Jonah. Of course, he wouldn't make her have that awkward conversation. Which was going to be even more awkward, because he would talk about it by making sure she knew he didn't care to talk about it. Maybe she was overthinking this. They'd all be so busy with the reinauguration party, it was gonna be all business. Yeah, it was gonna be fine. 

She parked her car and immediately saw Jonah getting out of his, ten feet from her. It was so sudden she didn't even have time to worry.  
"Hey, what's up?", she said.  
"Good. I've been...eating lots of...eggs."  
"Right. Me too. Oh, look, the store looks exactly like it did before."  
"It's like nothing hit it at all."  
"Yeah, the debris is gone, the ceiling is back where it belongs... No lasting effects."  
As they entered the store, Glenn came running towards them:  
"Amy, Jonah, thank allah you're here!" (someone coughed on the background) "I mean, thank the hypothetical all-knowing entity I believe in!"  
"Are you muslim now, Glenn? I totally support it! I accept people's right to practice whatever religion they want at peace and..."  
"No religion talk in the workplace!", they heard once again Dina's voice. She came out of the groceries aisle, with a pair of protection head-gear and a notepad.  
"Hey there, Dina. How've you been?"  
"How have I been? I'll tell you how I've been! While you slackers have spent the last seven weeks vacationing in three star hostels in Waco, Texas, I've been here every single day supervising the stupid construction workers!"  
"Waco, Texas?", asked Jonah.  
"When Myrtle gets here, we're gonna have a little talk about it. She thinks I can't see her Facebook page, but guess what- your account isn't closed!"  
"Dina", said Glenn, "I already told you there was no need for you to be here these past weeks. You're not even getting paid."  
"I think we've all gained something from my presence here. See how I made them add an extra aisle for pet owners? This way, I don't have to go to that other department store downtown to feed my birds."  
"Dina", said Jonah, checking the aisle, "There's only bird stuff in here."  
"So?"

Attention, Cloud Nine shoppers…Bird food is thirty percent off. Incidentally, we now sell bird food! If you want intel on raising birds, please talk to our supervisor Dina- seriously, Dina? 

By lunch time, they had accomodated other pet-owners, and gotten things for cats and dogs as well. Emma had asked for a dog the other day. Adam said she could have it. That's so typical. All fun, no responsibilities. Yeah, of course she'd be okay with getting a dog if someone else- namely, the interested parties- were to walk it and feed it.  
After her near-death experience, Adam pulled her aside at home and asked her if they could give their marriage one last chance.  
"Look, I know we're not in the best place, and I know what we said last night. But I don't have anywhere to go."  
"Wait- you wanna stay married because you have nowhere to go?"  
"No, no! I'm saying you and Emma are my family, and you guys are all I have. This is where I belong. And today, I almost lost you. I don't want to lose you. You're my wife."  
"I am your wife, yes."  
"I think this tornado happened for a reason, Amy. I think it happened so we'd realize we were making a huge mistake."  
"Yeah, Adam, a fucking tornado almost killed tons of people, destroyed a building, possibly burried Brett under cloud nine debris, all so that we could have an epiphany and be together!". She was mad.  
"I understand you're shaken up. All I'm asking is, let's try again. For Emma."  
Amy tried to cool her head and face the issue at hand. She looked at Adam, poor Adam, who she'd (in a way) cheated on. Yeah, he was clueless, but she'd known him forever. She'd been with him ever since she was a kid. The problem is, he's still a kid. No, Amy, stop. Think of Emma.  
"For Emma."  
So Adam went back to sleeping on her bed, even though they hadn't had sex since...what? Before Thanksgiving. If only they'd been this chaste in high school...No, Amy, no. She didn't regret having Emma. She regretted having her too soon. 

Attention, Cloud Nine shoppers- someone has left a batch of weed on the dressing cabinets. We would call security, but they are on their lunch break- so, whoever you are, please collect your weed with Mateo, who’s in charge of that section. If you don’t, he plans on selling it.  
Amy was helping Jonah reset a laptop which he’d probably broken past repair.  
“Who put you in charge of electronics? You’re like a walking virus.”  
“Well, thank you. And I switched with Alicia, she wanted the food aisle.”  
“Who the hell is Alicia?”  
“The new hire- you know, before the tornado hit.”  
“Oh. Yeah, I remember her. She’s not your boss.”  
“I will be sure to remind her of that from now on.”  
“Okay, I’ll stay here. Go cover the booze aisle; make sure twelve year olds don’t steal anything.”  
“Twelve year olds?”  
“A trustworthy source tells me kids at her school do this on some sort of a dare to enter a popular group.”  
“Oh my god. In my time, the dare was to dress in a ridiculous costume but still own it and oh, maybe they were never gonna let me in.”  
“What was it?”  
“I’d rather not talk about it.”, Amy raised her eyebrows, “Big Bird’s loser cousin from Texas. I wore a cowboy costume over the bird costume…”  
“Okay”, Amy said in a Texan accent, “you better go check on that booze.”  
“Right.”  
See? She’d been worrying over nothing. Their friendship was just like it’d always been. It’s like it never even…  
Oh, crap. She’d forgotten Adam said he was going to come by because he wanted to check out a special grill. Adam had been thoughtful and considerate for about a week after the tornado, then things went back to normal. Like nothing had changed. Amy had taken Emma with her to Florida to visit her parents at their new condo, and they’d asked about Jonah, which was alarming. On another day, her mother said something about Amy and Adam splitting up in front of Emma, and Amy was left to clean up the mess.  
Emma asked her if it was true, and she had every right to know all the facts. She didn’t like keeping Emma in the dark.  
“Mom and dad are trying, okay? We’re both really stressed out and I don’t know, babe- I don’t know if we’re going to stay together.”  
“Are you staying together because of me?”  
“What? No…”  
“Because I see that you’re unhappy, mom. So, if I’m the only reason you guys are doing this, stop. Seriously, I’m old enough.”  
“Sweetie, sometimes we’re sure about stuff we can’t really know until we’re really there, experiencing it. You may say you’re okay now, but you don’t know for sure.”  
“Do you know for sure that you’re okay now?”  
“Of course I’m okay, Emma. I have you. It’s just… I get really tired of being a grownup once in a while.”

Text from: Adam  
Hey, bean  
I know I said I’d pick up Emma from school today but I need to meet a client. Can you do it? Thank you so much. I appreciate you and your sacrifices.  
That last part was owed to the counselling- “tell you spouse how much you appreciate them and their sacrifices”. She never said that to Adam, because he’d never had to sacrifice anything. Oh, apart from his grilling. And his metal saxophone one man band.  
Suddenly Amy was exhausted. She wanted to fall and lay on the floor and not think. Her eyes were watery- tears? Or allergies from whatever construction material was still drying out? Probably both.  
She had to talk to Jonah. He was in patio talking to an old man.  
“Hey”, she said, “I know that I kissed you, I just… I thought we were going to die, so I wouldn’t have to get through this conversation but, anyway, I don’t want things to be weird between us. I know I’m the one making it weird- again- Jonah 1, Amy 2, right? I’m sorry I didn’t talk to you for weeks. No, let me talk. I’m sorry I kissed you. Truth is, I’m going through the worst time of my life and somehow I’ve come to realize that you’re my best friend, so can you just take me to some sort of nerd movie marathon or gourmet food truck or whatever stupid thing you like and hear me complain?”  
The old man was mesmerized.  
“You don't... You don't have to apologize about... But, yeah, sure, okay. There's an exhibition of etruschean artefacts uptown I was going to hit after work”, Jonah said, “I just, I have to take care of something first…”  
Amy heard a voice behind her. It was Alicia: “Are you ready to go…?”  
For a minute she considered Alicia was talking to the old man. But, come on. Jonah hadn’t wasted any time. Well, to be fair, it’d been two months. And they’d just kissed. And she was still married. She had to let him have this- just as he’d started saying “actually…”, she said:  
“You know, I have to go pick up Emma from school, so, you kids have fun! See you tomorrow!”  
She answered Adam’s text and said he could go meet his damn client. She kicked the car’s floorboards and drove away.  
"You kids have fun? You kids have fun! Bury me."


End file.
